


Dance Together In The Orange Sun

by MatchaMochi



Series: Lance Dish Time [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Skating, F/M, I have no experience in skating dont kill me, Modern AU, References to Depression, Trans Lance (Voltron), Transphobia, nyma is toll and lance is smoll, pair skating specifically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24146674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MatchaMochi/pseuds/MatchaMochi
Summary: Their skating costumes lay sprawled on the floor, waves of blue and burning orange. They’re absolutely drained from the last routine but its a gratifying exhaustion. Their hands were still clasped together since the first bow, the flowers from their fans spread sky blue petals on their bed. She takes a deep breath, and she recalls the first time she sees him.//////(Golden moments on ice with Nyma and Lance :) )
Relationships: Lance/Nyma (Voltron)
Series: Lance Dish Time [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675384
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Dance Together In The Orange Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Yes wiki helped me a lot on this one, sorry for any inaccuracies :( and yeppp IU's new 'Eight' was on replay when I was writing this too so thats where I nabbed the title :3

First impression? Naive. Cute, but beauty can only get you so far. She of all people should know about that. Second impression; stubborn, passionate, kind and so, very, _strong_. She hears his soft gasp when she traces the scar on his chest, cradles the helpless exhale as she kisses them, to her heart.

She says, “ _Lance,_ it’s alright, you’re fine. You are safe here, with me.” She whispers, as he tugs on her blonde hair, as he stares at her, eyes half-lidded, blue peeking through, “My dear, don’t ever doubt yourself.”

Their skating costumes lay sprawled on the floor, waves of blue and burning orange. They’re absolutely drained from the last routine but its a gratifying exhaustion. Their hands were still clasped together since the first bow, the flowers from their fans spread sky blue petals on their bed. She takes a deep breath, and she recalls the first time she sees him.

-

Violations in pair skating include falls, time, music, and clothing. After Rolo falls too many times to count and his knee gets injured in a way he won't recover for a couple of seasons he smiles wryly at Nyma and tells her that he shouldn’t be the one to hold her down. It’s difficult, letting him go, but she’s aiming for gold and she can’t let this opportunity pass her by.

So, she hugs him and tells him to call her and not strain his knee too much. She sees her coach’s eyes soften for the first time in her life, as they say their farewells, but it hardens again as she tells her about prospective partners she’s been looking for Nyma.

Her coach tells her about Lance, and about the circumstances of his sudden leave from figure skating. She tells her a story that would’ve made some assholes she knows scoff and turn their heads away. That would’ve made Rolo shake his head sadly and call the world a place that still had so much hate.

Lance had been trying to enter the men’s figure skating championship for a while and had left again because of mental health issues. Nyma's coach had been in contact with him and he’d said that he’s interested to try with Nyma if she agrees.

She does, and they meet him on a Saturday morning at a local rink. She still remembers the way the light had spilled down on his figure, as he skates circles on the ice, his salchow isn’t bad at all, but to change to pair skating this late in the game is risky if you’re not used to lifting.

Nyma is taller than him, so he has to tilt his head up a bit to look at her, he blushes when she strokes his arm as they skate, and its charming, how the flush travels down his cheek, to his neck and chest.

The elements performed by pairs teams must be 'linked together by connecting steps of a different nature', and it’s no surprise to find out how difficult it was, for them to meet each other’s wavelength.

They practice their lifts, twist lifts, throw jumps, jumps, spin combinations, death spirals, step sequences, choreographic sequences- and she starts to see a different side to him. He whines and complaints a lot about having to wake up early but she sees how much effort he puts through their routine, she has to guide him through a lot of moves but he always listens to her, eyes sharp and focused, gets back up, again and again, every time he falls.

His lifts are weak, admittedly. She shows him how this one time, and she thinks he might’ve not been ready for it at all because his face was red all throughout the day. Her heart flutters a little, at that. Perhaps that was when it started.

She pinches his cheeks and calls him dear as a tease but she scolds him and sends him encouragement too. And he takes it, takes her in too, with his sweet smile and sharp eyes.

He builds up his core strength and they do a lift and it’s _perfect._

She asks him how he felt and he beams at her, tells her it felt like he could carry the whole world on his hands. She doesn’t tell him but she felt like she had wings, like she could carry him away from the world and take in the universe.

-

It gets harder when they start entering tournaments. Not their routines no, those are as good as it gets. Lands them on second and sometimes even first place. No……it’s the people, and the comments, the looks they get, and the sickening tilted smile of a reporter.

It’s the dinner after they get silver, and the way Lance freezes up beside her when they heard someone behind them laugh and say, ‘ _Shouldn’t McClain be wearing skirts too?_ ’ She pulls him away from the room when he starts to blink quickly, when she could feel his hand tremble slightly, cold to the touch.

She tries not to see them but she still knows its _there,_ articles about how the overall aesthetic of their routine is questioned, speculations about how the judges are partial to them because- because of this _nonsense_ that they thought Lance was what they made him up to be.

It makes her grit her teeth with anger, wishes they could just _skate_ without anyone else questioning their worth, _his_ worth. She spies Lance sometimes going into an unhealthy headspace where he searches his name in social media and she _hates_ what they say about him.

Pair skating is the most dangerous discipline in figure skating, they have more injuries than other skaters- do people know that? Or do they think this was child’s play?

Nyma loves him, she knows that now. Loves him enough to take his phone away and grab his coat so they could go outside and take some fresh air. Enough to kiss him this one night, under the moonlight, hot and searing. And when she sees the tears brimming in his eyes when he kisses back she swears she’d protect him from whatever else that might hurt him in this world.

Holds him close and dreams of gold, and Lance’s soft blue eyes.

-

It seems like a dream, but they reach the Olympics. And Lance won’t ever stop looking at his phone so she sends him links that she knows makes him tear up. Posts with sentences like, ‘ _A win for the POC and transgender community,_ ’ or, ‘ _Nyma and Lance; the dream we’ve hoped for,_ ’.

Messages too, from fans that have identified with them, stories about how happy for them they were. A sincere letter from another woman struggling in the women’s figure skating championship, how she’d got her fair share of transphobic comments thrown her way and how she’s just happy that they’re in the Olympics, ‘ _I know how it would feel like an unnecessary pressure for you, having so many pouring their hopes on this. But whatever the future brings, remember where you are, right here and now. And be proud._ ’

She’s admittedly worried when the letters and attention got too much. But Lance never wavers, she ruffles his soft brown hair and he smiles up to her, eyes shining. She kisses his cheek before their routine and he blushes but calls her ‘ _Dear,_ ’ after, his hands steady and his eyes sharp.

And after, when their bones are so heavy its hard to even take another step, when they’re breathing so hard Lance has to hold on to her to walk to the kiss and cry, her heart has never felt so full.

Lance wouldn’t stop crying after their marks are announced. She tucks him in her chest and shushes him, feeling her cheeks wet with her own tears too.

-

Lance kisses her after they get their medals, though he had to tiptoe a bit. She clutches him to her, and their medals shine in the darkness of their room; twinkling gold.

- _fin-_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope same sex couples are allowed to enter pair skating in the future :') and what fueled me to do this is mayyybe all the casual transphobic comments ive been hearing here.....terfs man, also! I forgot to mention but nyma wears contacts that makes her eyes purple! weeeeee
> 
> I have no idea who or what im gonna write for the next lance dish! lets see where the wind takes meee
> 
> Thnks for reading!
> 
> I have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/crazydurians)! and check out my other [fics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MatchaMochi/works) too! 
> 
> Comments and kudos are highly appreciated!


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